What does leisure mean in Shakespeare?
Shakespeare relates leisure to ideas of excess and deprivation. Generally, leisure in the plays forms an essential component of a healthy lifestyle, but too much leisure proves destructive.
What was life like in Shakespeare’s day?
During Shakespeare’s time, people’s lives were often short. As many as one-half of the children born never lived beyond fifteen years and, thus, never reached adulthood. Also, the average lifespan of an adult was only thirty years. These short lifespans were due to the limited medical knowledge.
What games did children play during the Elizabethan era?
Elizabethan Sporting Games
- Archery – Archery contests were extremely popular during the Elizabethan era.
- Tag – Children’s game of ‘catch’
- Battledore and Shuttlecock – the ancestors of modern badminton.
- Billiards.
- Bowls.
- Colf – the ancestor of Golf.
- Gameball – a simple football game.
- Hammer-throwing.
What was leisure like in Elizabethan England?
In the Elizabethan era (1558–1603), there was a wide range of leisure activities entertaining both the nobility and the common classes. Among these leisure activities were animal fighting, team sports, individual sports, games, dramatics, music and the arts.
What did people do for fun in Elizabethan times?
Drinking, gambling on bear-baiting, cockfighting, cards, dice and racing were popular. Tobacco smoking was new and expensive but growing by the end of Elizabeth’s reign. Ordinary people also took part in wrestling, running races and football.
What was life like for Shakespeare during his reign?
An increasing population and rising poverty became a big problem. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during Elizabeth’s reign, in what was considered a ‘golden age’ of culture. Purpose-built theatres were popular and offered tiered seating with prices suitable for people from all ranks of society.
What did the nobles think of the theatre?
Many nobles protected groups of actors and became their patrons. Not everyone approved of theatres. There was some opposition from: The Puritans – they believed theatres were the work of the devil, spreading rude and lewd ideas encouraging poor moral behaviour.
What did aristocrats do in the Elizabethan era?
Recreating medieval tournaments continued to be popular in the Elizabethan era. Although the arrival of gunpowder weapons meant that the full armour of the medieval knight was now obsolete on the battlefield, dressing up anyway and jousting still proved an attractive pastime for aristocrats.